Lydia Cabrera - Involvement in Afrocubanismo and The Preservation of Afro-Cuban Culture

Involvement in Afrocubanismo and The Preservation of Afro-Cuban Culture

For almost all of her life, Cabrera possessed a large interest in Afro-Cuban culture. She had been introduced to their folklore at a very young age by her Afro-Cuban nanny and Afro-Cuban seamstress. Three factors influenced her decision to study Afrocubanismo in her adulthood. The first influence was her experience in Europe, where studying African art became very popular. Secondly she was influenced by her studies in Paris, where she began to see the large influence that African art had on Cuban art. Thirdly she had a companion Teresa de la Parra, a Venezuelan socialite who she had meant while studying in Europe, who enjoyed reading Cuban books with her and they often found themselves studying about island together.

With her focus on thoroughly exploring Afro-Cuban culture, she returned to Cuba in 1930. She moved to a ranch La Quinta San Jose in the suburb of Havana, Marianao, located just outside the barrio Pogolotti where she conducted most her research on Afro-Cuban culture. Between 1937 and 1948, she published her second book of short stories Por Que...Cuentos negros de Cuba. For this collection, she participated in the culture of the Afro-Cubans and would record their religious rituals and traditions.

During the late 1950s she continued to publish several books about Afro-Cuban religion, especially focusing on the Abakuás. Being a secret society, the Abakuás were reluctant to talk to her about their religion. Since they do not accept women as members, Cabrera relied on the use of interviews to gain information for her book. It focused on the origins of the group, the myth of Sikaneke, and the hierarchy of its members. Somehow she managed to photograph their sacred drum, which is supposed to remain hidden at all times, to include within her research.